Jan Šinágl angažovaný občan, nezávislý publicista

Roman Joch: Athletes of the West, now is not the time to be silent. You will be shown whether you are worthy of the West or whether you will be bought, put on a gold muzzle and cower before the red mandarin who thinks he has the "Mandate of Heaven".

The athletes involved thus willingly play the role of "useful idiot". Can anyone imagine the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin taking place at a time when concentration camps already existed on German soil and when the extermination of the Jews had already begun? What does that say about the moral state of the world?

The Chinese have already banned foreign visitors. At least the politicians will not attend, except for the obedient President of the Czech Republic, Zeman, who, as the only President of a European Union country, would attend if his health permitted it. This is a question for the athletes to answer for themselves and to settle with their consciences, including the athletes' entourage. China has banned them from talking about basic human rights under threat of punishment. Will they be as civically brave as Novak Djokovic? Of course not. Fame and money is an adversary that no one wants to defeat in their own interest. Let us hope that there will be a few brave athletes who will find it in themselves to behave as the brave gymnast Věra Čáslavská did at the Olympic Games in Mexico in 1968? I was honoured to be able to accompany and support her in the last years of her life. 

China does what it likes with the whole world. Fearfully, it just obediently remains silent and does not act. At least the International Olympic Committee has said that it is not possible to tell athletes what they can and cannot talk about at press conferences. But even he has to ask himself the question: "Why does it repeatedly allow the Olympic Games to be held in a criminal country", where the fundamental human rights of citizens, ethnicities and nationalities have been violated so barbarically, for many years?

But in such a huge business, where sport is no longer the first priority, you want athletes to refuse to participate in the Olympic Games, to support the oppressed, and not to become part of the Chinese propaganda machine. China has sent a covid into the world. What is it sending out into the world with these Olympic Games and what does it say about the 'democratic' world? Answer for yourself. 

When will the Government of the Czech Republic express its position? Will it wait until the last minute and lean towards the majority, in the tradition of Czech politics?

Jan Šinágl, 22.1.2022

***

 JATKA ve Sněmovně a v Lucerně

Komentovat články mohou pouze registrovaní uživatelé; prosím, zaregistrujte se (v levém sloupci zcela dole)